Skye Nicolson Brings Home the Gold for Australia and Clan MacNicol

by The Tartan BloggerApril 26, 2018

We explore Clan Nicolson and one famous, feisty girl with Scottish fighting spirit running through her blood along with the Australian. Skye Nicolson, the female Australian boxer, brought Gold home for her country earlier this month in the 57kg category at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and her family couldn’t be prouder.

It comes as no surprise that Skye is such an amazing boxer, as the sport is in her blood and she is trained by her older brother Allan (Jr) who is a national and international coach. Her younger brother Tony and Allan (Jr)’s two children also box and they all train together in the family gym. This all began when Skye’s parents, Allan (Sr) and Pat, built the Albert Boxing Club in their back garden in 1985 putting them at the heart of Queensland Boxing and training hundreds of boxers

The road is never smooth and we cannot forget Skye’s older brother, Jamie, who died in a car accident at only 22 alongside his younger brother Gavin, only 10 at the time, when they were on their way to boxing training. Jamie competed in the same category as Skye and was at the top of his game when he died. He had won bronze at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, ranked number 1 in the world in 1991 and won bronze at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. The strength of Skye’s parents to carry off after losing two children cannot be underestimated. It has been said that Skye emulates big brother Jamie with her boxing style and when her dad first saw her box it sent shivers down his spine.

Throughout her boxing career Skye has been extremely successful and was even named the Australian Boxing Ambassador for the Gold Coast Games. At only 22 Skye now has 101 fights under her belt and won the bronze at the World Championships in Kazakhstan in 2016, 27 years after her brother achieved the same thing in Moscow. Now that she has her Gold medal her next goal is to compete and win a medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. We have no doubt this dream will become a reality as she has achieved every other goal she has set her mind to.

Skye with her Commonwealth Games team mates

Skye’s family originates from Scotland as the Nicolson name would suggest, her grandfather was born in the Kyle of Lochalsh and her father grew up in Glasgow. It was the experience of growing up very poor in Glasgow and needing to know how to look after himself that ignited Allan’s passion for boxing. However, he was unable to learn how to properly box due to financial circumstances, so he made sure he gave his children the opportunities he missed out on.

The Nicolson Clan originates from the Lowlands of Scotland, in particular Glasgow, Dumfries and some generations have been found to derive from the Isle of Skye, where Skye’s own name harks back to. Nicolson was first brought over to Scotland by the Normans and it means “son of Nicol”. The Clan Crest is a lion and their motto is Generositate which means “by generosity”. Ian Nicolson from Scorrybreac changed his name to MacNeacail in 1988 so he could officially represent the lines of Nicolsons in the Highlands, and after this change he was named Chief of the Highland Clan MacNeacail. If you want to learn more about Clan Nicolson and their tartans check out our Clan Page.

If you are planning a trip to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo we carry all the variations of the Nicolson tartan so you can make your supporters flag or wave a scarf. Isle of Skye might be fitting as well. Whatever you choose we will be sure to keep an eye on Skye’s achievements as she boxes her way to success.

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Skye Brings Home the Gold for Australia and Clan MacNicol

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Skye Nicolson, the female Australian boxer, brought home the Gold for her country last week in the 57kg catagory at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and her family couldn't be prouder.